After entering the convention floor in Madison Square Garden 16 years ago, delegates were allowed to leave and return with a mere hand stamp.

A bulb went off above Milton Berkes' head. Let's see how many noncredentialed delegate wanna-bes we can sneak in, recalled the head of the Bucks County Democratic Committee.

He directed a fellow delegate to buy potatoes at a grocery and carve the likeness of the hand stamp in the tuber. Add some ink and, voila -- a stamp just like the real thing.

In all, the scheme allowed 80 people in one day to view the convention from the good seats.

"That definitely won't happen this year," said Berkes.

Nor will what occurred at the 1988 Democratic convention in Atlanta. Someone fabricated bogus credentials that allowed the Pennsylvania delegation to pack its section during a speech by former Gov. Robert P. Casey.

"When the cameras panned to Pennsylvania, we had people all over the place," recalled delegate John Karoly of Allentown. "It was as if people were sitting on each other's laps."

The sudden swelling of the delegation attracted the attention of convention security forces, who weeded out those with fake passes.

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Being one of the nation's leading anchormen doesn't always open all doors.

ABC's Peter Jennings found that out Monday night as he waited 25 minutes in a security line with a throng of other journalists to get into the United Center to cover the convention's opening night.

A reporter just behind the man to whom "America turns for news" heckled, "Hey, Jennings, I heard they let (NBC anchorman Tom) Brokaw right in."

Reich said the federal government can and must do more to help blue-collar workers -- a key Clinton constituency.

"We have to worry about the little guy," said Reich, who at under 5 feet frequently pokes fun at his own stature.

Browner broke with the nonpartisan tone of the convention so far with a frontal attack on the environmental policies of GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole when he served as majority leader in the U.S. Senate.

"Bob Dole led the effort to deny EPA the funds to do the job you expect us to do," Browner said, referring to budget cuts imposed by the Republican majority Congress.

Bell Atlantic Corp. paid for the delegation's breakfast.

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An emotional Catherine Baker Knoll, Pennsylvania's treasurer, informed the delegation yesterday that Seymore G. Heyison died just hours earlier in Pittsburgh on his 13th wedding anniversary.

But Knoll said Heyison's family asked her to keep up her duties as chairwoman of the Pennsylvania delegation.

And, after a brief cry and a few hugs, Knoll did -- introducing the delegation's next speaker.

Delegates said Heyison, executive deputy treasurer, ran much of the day-to-day office operations for Knoll.

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He's everywhere.

Found resting on a Chicago cabby's dashboard, a can of "Clinton Cola." Its slogan? "One taste to come back 4 more."